Named for the Rio Santa Clara, which had been named by the Gaspar de Portola expedition. To avoid confusion with another larger river in Northern California of the same name, the area around the river was occasionally referred to as "The Little Santa Clara River Valley." In the 1930s, historian A.B. Perkins named the area Santa Clarita (Little Santa Clara). The city includes Newhall, Saugus, Valencia, and Canyon Country. (Thanks to John Boston, writing for The Signal - Sunday, August 8, 1999).

City in red below. Click on map for more detailed color map of county.